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Sunday, December 11, 2011

♬ Santa Lucia Crown for the Feast of St. Lucia ♬

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...St. Lucia is an Italian saint who has been "adopted" by the people of Sweden. Christmas celebrations in Sweden begin on her feast day, which is the 13th of December. Prior to the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, that date was the shortest day of the year and in some regions of Scandinavia the sun didn't rise at all. Lucia is the patron saint of light, and legend tells us she wore a wreath of candles on her head to free her arms to carry bread to starving Christians hiding in the catacombs. The man she was to marry denounced her for assisting the poor and as a punishment she was blinded and set afire. The flames, however, didn't touch her and it took a stab wound to the heart to finally kill her. It is said that Lucia regained her sight just before her death. She is, to this day, revered as the patron saint of the blind because of her association with light. Her place in Swedish legend was earned because farmers in the middle ages believed she walked across a lake to deliver armloads of bread to starving members of their villages during a famine. They reported her path across the water was illuminated by the crown of candles she wore on her head. Lucia's name is synonymous with light and her crown symbolizes the light of faith and the promise of the sun's return. If you would like to see the procession that takes place on Saint Lucia day, you'll find a beautiful example here.

I have a special fondness for this holiday. Although I'm not Swedish, or Italian for that matter, I have enduring memories of Santa Lucia Day as it was spent on the south side of Chicago when I was a child. You've heard those stories and I've shared my recipes for some of the special foods that I associate with the holiday. We've already done done a coffee cake and Lussekatter or Lucia buns. Today's feature is a special sweet bread called a Lucia Crown. The crown should actually be made from two braids, one large, the other small. They are baked separately, and the small crown, which holds the candles, is placed on top of the other just before serving. The last time I did that, the small crown, with lit candles, slid off and caused more than a little excitement in the kitchen. These days, I use a much safer method of construction and no longer need the assistance of the fire department when I present the crown to my family. It's basically a long braid that's knotted into a circle. A demonstration of the technique can be found here. The dough used to make the crown is actually easy to prepare and it is not beyond the capabilities of a novice baker. There is, obviously, some symbolism built into the crown. Saffron is added to the dough to give it the color of the sun and the use of the candles is self-explanatory. This is a delicious bread and it is handsome enough to be used as a table centerpiece. I hope you'll give it a try. Fans of sweet breads will be happy to know this bread comes with a recommendation and an alert. My socks are going up and down. Hang on to yours. Here's the recipe.

Hi, Mary. I enjoyed hearing the legend about St. Lucia. But damn her fiance!! :|I did, however, really enjoy your story of yours sliding around! THOSE stories are the best because they are a family story that you will talk about for years to come. Much more interesting than having something work perfectly all the time! Anyway, your bread looks delicious, I'd like some right now. :)Take care.Best,Gloria

I had not heard of Santa Lucia's Feast, but I can tell if I had been around it growing up, it would be one of my favorite Christmas memories, too. And, you know I love it when your socks have gone up and down!! That recommendation is the highest of all! ;) blessings ~ tanna

I have not ever heard of this before, but I find it to be very interesting! I love visiting you because I get these wonderful recipes and I always get some new insight to all kinds of things for which I did not know about...Bread is my weakness and this one looks so DELICIOUS!Blessings,shug

Oh so wonderful this St. Lucia bread, your house must smell heavenly, which is home made bread! Thanks so much for sharing. I know about Sta. Lucia, here people celebrate their Sts. Day often instead of their birthdays, so I have a couple of Lucias who celebrate it. I wouldn't, poor Sta., so sad her life. Merry Christmas for you and yours. FABBY

Mary-the Lucia Crown Bread is magnificent!When I clicked to your site, I thought I heard music...and I did. So beautiful, and so befitting the scene. Loved the history about Lucia, which I knew learned about, since childhood. One of my niece, in Sicily is named Lucia (pronounced Lu-chtia)Thanks for sharing this beautiful tradition, and delicious bread!Hugs,

My daughters always wanted to be Lucia on her saint's day ... we have made the saffron rolls every winter since they were peanuts ... yours are much more beautiful than mine, but the sentiment remains as powerful where ever they are served (very early in the morning at our house with nothing but candle light and hot cider and coffee).

What a magnificent creation! I love learning about the history behind these recipes. I would love to try this out for our holiday feast. I love collecting recipes for my family and me to make! Thank you for sharing this with me and brightening my morning!

My birthday is 12/13 and I have a precious wooden candleholder that my mother bought me. A girl in a white gown wears a ring of greenery on her flowing yellow hair, and a single candle fits in the middle. My mother would put it on the table every year on my birthday. I may have to bake myself one of these lovely breads.

Your bread is beautiful!! We made cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate and my youngest daughter would dress up and past the food around for our breakfast. We are not Swedish or Catholic, but have enjoy participating in this holiday. I miss those days of when the children were younger.

Mary - I'm a little behind in my blog reading but had to comment on this beautiful bread. I remember my daughter dressing up as Santa Lucia for Halloween one year. One of these days I will attempt to make this loaf but don't know if I'll be as successful as you.

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